Any Ideas on Dealing With Blisters?

I did a little 3.5 mile run this morning (with my new Garmin 305 - very cool), and I'm still dealing with the blisters in my arches from Friday's long run, where I ran with new inserts in new shoes for 14 miles. My half marathon is 2 weeks from today. I'm going to keep training as planned (so "stop running" isn't an answer I'll consider). If you have any suggestions on how I might tape the blisters or anything that might help me avoid making them worse (I've already switched back to my old inserts), I welcome your comments. Thanks!

Long Run - Blisters (cont'd)

Look upon the ugliness, my friends, but don't cry for me, Argentina. I actually started feeling the rubbing and discomfort at about mile three of this 14 mile run. At that point, I could have turned around, made it an easy 6, gone home with tiny blisters and re-scheduled my long run. But nooooo! I was feeling really good (aside from the blisters, that is) and decided to take a chance that the damage would be minimal in order to get the run in on schedule. This year, my "comeback" to running, I've been pretty diligent in training properly and nursing my body along gently to avoid any injuries. The incidences of me being a bonehead are fewer and farther between, but alas they still exist. Oh well. Guess I'll drain & dress these and hope they don't interfere too much with the remainder of my training before the race. Live and learn.

Long Run: Confidence (and Blister) Builder

"Wed, Dec 23, 1987: 14 miles (4 x 3.5 mile loop) in 1:45:00 (7:30/mile pace)."

That was taken from my running log back in 1987. It was my longest run ever. It only took me 22 years to match that distance...because I did it today, albeit quite a bit slower (1:59:02 - 8:30 pace). I went out slow and ran a very manageable and steady pace, wearing my fuel belt. I drank Heed 3-4 times during the run and ate a couple of Shot Blocs at mile 7. The only negative to this run was the decision to wear my new shoes (Brooks Defyance 2, same as my previous pair) with new green Superfeet inserts. I wore that same combination for 350 miles previously without problems, but for some reason, these new inserts rubbed pretty bad blisters into the arches of both feet. Hopefully putting my old inserts into the new shoes will work. Don't want to miss any training leading up to my half due to this blunder. They're pretty sore and tender right now. I'll take tomorrow off and run short on Sunday and see how they feel. Aside from the blisters, this run was a good confidence builder, as my endurance was good and I know I could have run it at a faster pace.

Weigh-In

I haven't posted any of my "weekly weigh-in" stats here in a couple of weeks because, frankly, it's boring. But I thought I'd post a quick update today. Here were this morning's stats:

Weight (lbs): 147.0
Waist (inches): 30.2
Bodyfat %: 9.5
Resting HR: 43

I'm pretty happy with these numbers. Two weeks ago, my weight had dropped to 145.4, which is borderline for where I want to be (between 145 & 150). Last week it bumped up to 145.6. It's been several weeks since I've seen 147. The better news is the bodyfat percentage, which is the lowest ever. My scale probably isn't 100% accurate with that measurement, but I just compare it to itself. Back in January, it said I was 14.3% bodyfat. Currently, I'm carrying 132.9 lbs. of mass and 14.1 lbs. of fat. In the last two weeks, my mass has gone up exactly 2 lbs. while my fat has dropped by .4 lbs. I credit that to doing deadlifts during that time. I used to do them frequently (getting up to 305 lbs. max), but not much this year. I think they'll be a good core exercise, as long as I keep the weight fairly light and don't injure my back. And it looks like it might keep my mass from getting too low.

Today is a rest day before running my 14-mile long run on Friday.

Nice Interval Run

For the most part, the soreness in my legs is going away. I can still feel it a bit if I get up to walk after sitting for awhile, but during my run today it was a non-issue. Ran a warmup mile, then 1 mile fast, 1/2 mile slow x 3, then a mile cooldown. Felt strong during the fast miles.

I'll take it easy tomorrow, either with a bike ride or short, slow run, then a 14-mile long run on Friday.

Easy Run With Sore Legs

After taking yesterday off, I went out for an easy 3.5 mile run this morning. My quads and calves are still pretty sore from Saturday's 10k race and Sunday's romp up and down Tiger Mountain. The plan is for a fartlek run tomorrow.

Initiation

Got my first "Trail Runner's Badge of Honor" this morning. Nothing major, fortunately. I bit it (on a root) while running down Tiger Mountain, near Issaquah, WA. I ran with my friend Arthur. About a 6 mile round trip. My quads and calves were feeling it on the way up (partially due to yesterday's race, partially due to not being used to running a lot of hills). Got pretty steep near the top. Really enjoyed it, though. I can see myself eventually transitioning into more of a trail (ultra?) runner in the future. As far as long distance trail runs are concerned, I want to work into them gradually. So far, I've avoided any major injuries this year. I hope to keep that streak going for a long time!

I ended the week with a very modest total of 21.7 miles of running and 20 miles on the bike.

Race Report

Ran the Airport Run for Hope 10k this morning in Arlington, WA. Flat course, mostly on trails. Wet and muddy! Rained hard before, stopped during race, then a little rain afterward. Went out a bit fast, but met goal of breaking 45 min (barely) with a time of 44:59 (7:14/mi pace). Still not feeling very strong after a week of some kind of crud & had bad side stitch from miles 3-5.
Splits:

• 7:01
• 7:08
• 7:03
• 7:36 (enter the side stitch)
• 7:23
• 7:15 pace for last 1.2

Fun race, though. Finished 8th overall and 3rd in age group. Met ultra runner Tim Stroh (friend and competitor of my ultra friend Arthur). Tim took 2nd in my age group and beat me by about 2:50 (he's coming off the Plain 100 mi ultra race last weekend). Next up: Spokane Half Marathon on 10/11!

Check Your Bed

I try not to whine about all of my aches and pains here, but I'll mention this one as it relates to my bed. I've had lower back problems off and on for years. I try to stick with a stretching program that seems to help. Don't always remember to do them every day. Something else that has helped alleviate the pain is a Sleep Number bed we bought a couple of years ago. Even though my "number" isn't the most comfortable, my back likes it set to 100, which is the firmest it gets. My wife sets hers at about 60 and wonders how I could sleep on "a rock". Well, the last few nights, my back pain flared up again. I used to check my number every night before bed, but it seemed to hold the 100 setting consistently (when I used lower settings, it seemed to fluctuate more). Last night I checked for the first time in a couple of weeks and my 100 had dropped to 60! That explains the back discomfort. So word to Sleep Number owners - check that number frequently...especially if you have a back as picky as mine!

Later this morning, I'll head out for an easy 20-mile bike ride. Still in "fighting off undetermined illness/taper" mode.
Happy Tuesday!

5 Mile Hilly Trail Run

This morning, I headed over to Willis Tucker park to run the hilly dirt trail around the park (1 mile loop). It wasn't the best run ever. Wanted to start slow and run each lap (mile) faster. First mile was the right time (8:00), but it didn't feel as easy as it should have. Then I ran the second mile a bit too fast. So I decided to turn it into a modified fartlek run and alternate easy and hard miles:
8:00/7:21/8:01/7:11/8:06 (overall time of 38:40/7:44 per mile pace). My chest & lungs still feel tight. Also felt just a hint of pain on the outside of my right knee. When I got home, I stretched, used the foam roller, and took a 12 minute ice bath. This will be my last "hard" run before my 10k on Saturday. Depending on the weather, I may do an easy bike ride tomorrow, then run easy on Wednesday. I'll probably take Thursday and Friday off so I'll be well rested for Saturday's 10k.